“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”

Guess who said that? No, it wasn’t me. But I wish it was, because I believe the most important human right is the right to education. The aim of this campaign is to ensure that everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, gets a good education.

200 million children

Every year, over 200 million children under the age of five will not reach their full potential. This is due to world leaders’ broken promises, poverty, nutritional deficiencies and inadequate care and learning opportunities. Most of these children live in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Breaking the poverty cycle

Due to this poor start in life, the cycle of poverty is more likely to continue. Education is the key to reducing poverty. It’s the best tool to reduce hunger, create political stability and empower women in developing countries.

If all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty. According to UNESCO, this is equivalent to a 12% cut in world poverty.